Format: ebookSource: From Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review. This in now way effects my review or opinion of the book.

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this second volume of
Katie Cook's popular series Gronk, Gronk is learning to adjust to OUR
world through the teachings of Dale, a woman who probably shouldn't be
teaching anyone how to adjust to the real world.

Join Gronk, Dale, Harli, and Kitty for another year of fun!

Review:

These graphic novels are adorable. Each page is a short and snippets from Gronk and Dale's lives. They are hilarious and fun. In this volume Gronk has been living with Dale and is more human-like than in Volume 1. The overall nerdy theme in these comics are a lot of fun and I like being able to spot them - some are plot related in the comic others are a logo here or there. I really enjoy these. I found myself laughing out loud as Gronk is coloring on walls or ordering everything off of Amazon - and what I think is even better is that this is stuff that a kid would do (sometimes accidentally). Since it is relateable I think it makes the comic/ graphic even better.

So... as you may have noticed nothing has really bee going up on the blog -- SO sorry, these past two weeks I have been gearing up/ participating in Bloggiesta and also gearing up for all the awesomeness that will be Armchair BEA this year :)

AND work has been crazy since I am going on vacation VERY soon (In less than a week **SQUEE**)

So not really much reading/reviewing but I have done a good amount of cleaning, packing, and general cleaning of my house :P Also we have had some warmer weather and the melt has begun and I am super excited about Spring! I have my seedlings going and they are sprouting well already :D Do you garden? If so what do you like to plant?and ... How was your week?

Giveaways Going on NOW

Coming up on the Blog...

Early Reader Review: Gronk: A Monster's Story (Volume 2) by Kate Cook (GN)

Mar 27, 2015

Format: ebookSource: Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book in no way effects my opinion or review.

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Working as costumed
princesses at the local amusement park is a nice gig, but it’s not what
Courtney, Amber, Tiffany, and Michelle want to do with their lives.
These queens of high school have their own plans for life
post-graduation, and they do not involve fixed games and fried pickles.

But
when all their plans fall apart, what are the girls to do? Left with no
other options, they decide to keep their part-time jobs as
princesses–for the moment. But even that plan is threatening to fall
apart, thanks to the sudden and increasing muggings plaguing the park
and chasing away customers.

With their back-up jobs in peril,
the girls have no choice but to take matters into their own hands and
fight back. But the more they work to save the park, the more their
part-time jobs become full-time, and the more their carefully-planned
futures get pushed to the wayside. Will these princesses ever get their
lives back on track?

Will they even want to?

Review: This was an interested theme for a graphic novel. Four popular girls work at the local amusement park as princesses and their lives are falling apart.

These are the girls that I hated in high school, popular, snarky, name-calling, rude girls - they know they are popular so they don't have to care about acting like people. So reading this graphic novel was cringe-worthy for me...and I kept thinking that these girls would become better people through their hardships Slight spoiler: they don't get much better.

The story focuses on them trying to help the park because it is all they have left, and yes they become friends with the 'nerds' but it never really seemed sincere to me...

The drawing was imaginative and the park looked cool, but there was some variations with the girls sizes and in some frames they looked squashed and chubby and in others taller and leaner - it was a bit weird - whichever body type they were supposed to have, I would have liked that consistency. So a three out of five for this one. It was a cute story but I didn't really like the characters.

Mar 25, 2015

This week is Bloggiesta and the wonderful moderators have asked us to write up our Best Blogging Advice.

So here is my advice...hopefully it will be helpful.

1. Blog what you love:

I happen to love reading and I needed a hobby and so Cover2CoverBlog happened. If you aren't passionate about what you are blogging about it gets hard - there is a lot more work here than you imagine (trust me, I had NO IDEA what I was getting into).

2. Keep it fun!:

There are so many bloggers that get overwhelmed about their blogging life - I figure, I am doing this as a hobby, for FUN :) so I can stop whenever. Do I feel bad when I slack on the posting? Yes, but it is still something fun for me and I do it for me... so keep it light and fun and blog when you can .... which brings me to ->

3. Don't stress it, blog when you are able:

Yes, that means that sometimes you will have the same post sitting on your blog for a week, but you need you time too - so take it!

4. Make it your own:

You are blogging because you love something right? Well make it yours. Be yourself and do what feels good to you. You want pictures of kittens all over the place, go with it :P

Mar 19, 2015

Format: ebookSource: Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way effects my opinion or review of the comic.

Rating:

Synopsis from Oni Press:

The Grimmerians abandon their fight against the frost giants after
learning Ülga’s being held in captivity. Using what little she’s
learned of diplomacy, Ülga tries to find a way to end the threat of war
before the kingdoms destroy each other, but she’ll need the help of the
other princesses.

Review: This was a good episode in the Princess Ugg series, we see her really coming into herself and learning a lot from her time with the more civilized population. I like Ulga's gusto in these books, she is a strong female who knows what she wants and is able to use her traits to help herself and the other princesses. Without giving away too much, the princesses are all together in this installment working to get back at Julifer's father for snatching them and Ulga finally realizes that they are her friends, all of them. Another great comic in this series.

Mar 18, 2015

Format: ebookSource: Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way effects my opinion or review of the graphic novel.

Rating:

Google Books Synopsis:

At long last, Courtney Crumrin Tales returns... in full color! Though
the Witches and Warlocks of Hillsborough keep to themselves under
Ravenna’s Law, there are outliers who are a danger to others. The
Anti-Sorcery Society, headed by mortal Horace Crisp, seeks to destroy
these individuals, and Aloysius Crumrin, an eager young man, offers his
assistance–keeping his magical ancestry to himself, of course. But
he doesn't count on Alice Crisp, Horace’s tenacious daughter,
accompanying him on missions, or on trusting her with his secret… or on
falling in love. Which proves more dangerous than anything when Horace
becomes his enemy…

Review: It is safe to say that this series can do no wrong in my eyes. I love everything about it, the world, the characters, the art and the plotlines. This volume is no different.

In this volume we get a background story for Aloysius Crumrin. As a young man he engages with a group of sorcerer hunters in an attempt to find out what they know about his group and along the way he is able to actually help them do away with some of the rogue sorcerers that are out there.

I enjoyed this volume very much, I liked Uncle Al in the Crumrin series and it was nice to learn more about his life before Courtney arrived. If you like the Crumrin series this is a great addition to it.

Mar 17, 2015

It is Bloggiesta time again! This time around we are running a full week! Do you have a to do list? You should join us! (see the info below)

The Cover2CoverBlog To Do List:

As always - Update my 'Reviews by Author' tab

Comment on ALL the participant to do lists :) -- YUP ALL of them! [If your link-up goes to your to-do list - I noticed some don't (sadface)]Pants heavily- DONE (108/108 on 3/28 - I will keep checking the linky tho)

Do as many Mini Challenges as possible

Added Disqus for commenting to my blog - I hope it makes it easier to comment :)

Joined Trello to see if it helps with my TBR organization.

Back up my blog

Attend @ least 2 Twitter Parties - Attended 3.25 chat :)

Update my TBR Spreadsheet

Plan some posts/ write some reviews -- Planned a few :) and reading to have reviews to write

Clean up my email and blogging calendar

Update Sponsor post for Armchair BEA

I will be adding items as the week goes on and I find goodies on other peoples lists :) Happy Bloggiesta -ing Everyone!

Some Info (Borrowed) From Bloggiesta:

But just in case you are new to Bloggiesta, first let me ‘splain.
Bloggiesta is a blogging marathon (sometimes over a weekend, sometimes
four days and this time one week!) where we as bloggers gather together
to help each other work on all sorts of blogging tasks, stuff that we
often put off and avoid. Or stuff that we’re scared of trying. Or stuff
that we haven’t had time for. But during Bloggiesta all that stuff
suddenly becomes fun! There are others doing the same thing ! So, it
becomes a party! Wait, no. It’s a FIESTA! (To learn more, see our about page.)

There’ll be a Twitter chat party every day of the event, each one geared toward a different blogging theme. Thanks to a brilliant idea from The Book Vixen and with additional help from The Bluestocking Society, we’ve come up with themes that match our mascot’s acronym: PEDRO. . . People, E-presence, Display, Reviews and Organize, plus two miscellaneous themes for the weekend.

Nothing super exciting happened this week except that I got books 1-3 of The Lost Imperials series and I am so excited to start reading them! Work was less crazy but still busy and I had some overtime (which is both a blessing and a curse). I am just trying to keep up with my reading and still trying to take control of my ever growing TBR list... oh and I read my first Murakami book last week - so weird but in a good way. I loved it.How was your week?

Giveaways Going on NOW

Coming up on the Blog...

Recent Reads:The Hit by Melvin Burgess (YA)

Recent Reads: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination (Adult) -- if I finish it

From
internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami—a fantastical
illustrated short novel about a boy imprisoned in a nightmarish library.

A
lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plot their
escape from the nightmarish library of internationally acclaimed,
best-selling Haruki Murakami's wild imagination.

Review: What a strange and wonderfully creative story. I have heard a lot about this author and the crazy marvelous things he does in his writing and I was not let down by The Strange Library. This short story only took me about 30 minutes to read through while having lunch and it was beautifully illustrated. Murakami's story is one of a library that holds secrets in its depths, and not just secrets of learning but of the more sinister.

A boy goes to the library for some books and is held captive by a strange old man. During his imprisonment he meets a few other unlikely characters and then the twists and turns are more pronounced.

I had a lot of questions after reading this book - mostly about how this poor boy can now never go into a library without feeling fear and entrapment. And that is NOT what you want to feel in a library (at least it isn't for me). The joys of knowledge are a wonderful thing and this story takes a macabre turn with them instead.

I really enjoyed this book in all its weird, convoluted events and will be picking up more books by this author.

Review: I love the ponies, I think they are cute and each of them have fun personalities. This volume collected issues 9-12, which I have not read before, nor have I read the previous volumes/issues. I have watched all of the pony episodes though so I know about many of the characters that made cameos in these tales. We get four stories and almost all the ponies in this volume, all but Rarity who only has a very small part in these tales.

Granny and the Flim Flam Brothers is about family sticking together and was a lesson that everyone should read about all the time. Fluttershy helping others is the norm for her story, but it was done in an adorable way - with Iron Will a minotaur who is overly aggressive. Rainbow Dash's story was about finding your strengths and acknowledging that it is possible for great people or ponies, to have weaknesses as well. And lastly, Pinkie Pie's tale was about friendship and self control - her tale was the funniest, but it is Pinkie and she is always a spazz waiting for a good laugh.The illustrations in this volume were all wonderful and vibrant and I think any My Little Pony lover will enjoy this compilation.

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About:

Stephanie (aka Gorelenore) works full time for a university and in her spare time reads...A LOT! She lives with her husband, her dog Rolo, her cat Cooper, and 2 bearded dragons in the Green Mountain State of Vermont.

Disclaimer

In compliance with FTC guidelines, advanced copies were provided by authors and publishers in exchange for honest review purposes, no monetary compensation is exchanged. Book images obtained from online sources are cited or from Goodreads.

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